Funny thing is, that the official subbed version of the anime is only a week behind, and free last I checked. So why would the mania be so much farther behind since they would have the text all there? And doesn't shonen jump have a online version of the magazine for subscription in japan?

Its the law of things that should make sense. If it should happen and could happen it wont happen.

Personally Mangastream stopping translating Naruto does not inconvenience me a lot. Long ago I decided sticking to purchasing and reading the volumes, so it has been ages since I read Naruto online.

Nonetheless, I can understand what people read the chapters online is worried...

But I understand Viz's position on this. If they began uploading digital releases, an online site scanning and uploading the chapters ilegally would be a big trouble they would want doing something about...

However I think publishers are making it wrong. I think they should seek ways to promote and sell their products online, instead of shutting down everyone who spreads awareness about it. A lot of series can not be purchased legally on my country because companies think they would not be profitable or legal quarrels between companies prevent them from ever being sold out of Japan (for example, Go Nagai's anime shows can not be sold out of Japan due to legal fights between Go Nagai and Toei Animation), and fans have to resort to internet to read them or watch them. Of course, nobody is entitled to free manga or anime, but...

Anyway, regarding the "I can not wait two whole weeks to read the newest chapter!" complain, I don't get the fuss. I do not want starting a "Back on my day" lecture, but when I grew up you had to wait weeks or even months to read the next chapter of your favorite comic-book. And almost fifteen years ago you could not find scanlators scanning, translating and uploading your favorite series weekly, so I am used to wait.

Those are my thoughts on the matter. I hope nobody got bored or offended.

Edited by Jenskott, 14 February 2012 - 04:22 PM.

Do you want to take over the world, huh? Well, you'll have to go through us first!

It would make sense if Mangasteam purchased the license to scan and translate, then charged everyone a fee. Then you'd only have to pay 5-10$ a month, get updated Naruto and Viz will be happy since Mangastream (Or likewise scanlator website) would have properly purchased a license to distribute. Obviously not everyone can afford that, but hey, its better then nothing.

I can understand why Viz did this, afterall, their new Viz Alpha service should mean the manga will be available online for subscribers same week as the officially Japanese release, This puts Mangastream as direct competitor, with the added advantage of them being free and releasing a week early.

It's a shame the service is only available in the US, as I would subscribe it that was the case. I think Mangareader knowing this started their ownh service just weeks before MS were told to stop their translations...but is a shame about Mangastream, with two scanalation groups once again doing the translations, it meant we got a much clearer picture of what was being said.

One things pretty certain like Horriblesubs do with Cruncyroll, I fully expect to see a Vizrip group popping up soon enough.

That piracy article is bang-on. My biggest issue is that, being from the oh-so foreign country of Canada, I get blocked at ever turn from the legal guys. News flash, US companies, most of Canadian entertainment is not Canadian... It's from YOU. There is great demand up here, but the silliness that is these licensing issues, is that me being in Canada, I can't watch something on the INTERNET. The internet. Consumers don't like that. I have no sympathy for companies because their business has been stupid, and if you're a true capatalist, you know the market dictates all. We want, you provide, or say bye-bye. Now, I'm not a capatalist. I know why there are these laws in place, and I sure as hell don't want the economy unchecked and at the whims of both greedy corporate big-shots and greedy, self-indulgent consumers. So on that hand, sure, getting something for free is wrong. I like Funimation and I've bought a few of their series. I don't like that now, because I'm Canadian, they can have my money but I can't enjoy the perks such as being able to watch the same episodes legally on their site as a US citizen can.

Why? Whatever douche decided to implement whatever law that LIMITS the market and supplier-consumer relationship, have only turned people to shrug their shoulders and go to the pirates. There is a fundamental about law that if the law doesn't make sense, or is too limiting, the public won't comply. This is the reason why bans against greater social ills, smoking, drinking, now getting high, have been so contested. That's reality. People are at the majority, selfish. We like our instant gratification, we balk at the idea that perks we have enjoyed are now dwindling. It's why there are law-breakers in the world, but at least most people feel some moral obligation, and I mean the well-adjusted people in the world, not to do something that will harm another person. Why smoke outside? Because nasty second-hand smoke is harmful to others, you addict (my parents are smokes, ugh).

Why do I try to support the companies? I want them to keep their job. However, with issues of piracy, they HAVE to pander to their customers. I like to think that I try to do what I can, but their product is virtual. I can't go physically copy-paste a book, but now we can through the internet. Things are changing, and they can't rely on honest people to put up with their policies and pay. If you provide better service, for your virtual, therefore inexhaustible supply, you can tempt people back to you. A lot of people simply don't have sympathy for the company and their struggles when they haven't taken advantage of what they need to because numbers and figures have stopped them. I was pretty pissed off when I couldn't watch Funimation anymore. I pay them money, and I have to pay more than the US citizen because my tax is higher, plus with shipping and all that jazz. I want what the other person gets, k thanks. No? Okay, well, looks I won't be visiting your site. This guy provides it for me for free? Well, since you didn't, and I pay you for your products...

They can do better. I have the money, and I'm willing, but I'm not pleased with the services so my sympathy starts to ebb away. How can a small group provide translations every week but they can't? Whatever the excuse, it's not a good one. =| I liked what Viz did, too... IF ONLY THEY ALLOWED ME TO SEE THEIR EPISODES FROM CANADA. >.< -shakes fist-

Naw, I'm too annoyed with them to care. They should know their market better.

omg at this rate it will get to the point that the only way we'll be up to date with Naruto is through people telling us spoilers and uploading crappy, untranslated pictures. How long you wanna bet 'till mangareader has the same issue?

omg at this rate it will get to the point that the only way we'll be up to date with Naruto is through people telling us spoilers and uploading crappy, untranslated pictures. How long you wanna bet 'till mangareader has the same issue?

My geuss would be in a span of 2-4 weeks.

You know.... You can't shut something down completley. There will always be people in the shadows

Anyway, regarding the "I can not wait two whole weeks to read the newest chapter!" complain, I don't get the fuss. I do not want starting a "Back on my day" lecture, but when I grew up you had to wait weeks or even months to read the next chapter of your favorite comic-book. And almost fifteen years ago you could not find scanlators scanning, translating and uploading your favorite series weekly, so I am used to wait.

Those are my thoughts on the matter. I hope nobody got bored or offended.

15 years ago would take me back to when Ayashi no Ceres was being fan translated. No scanalations in 1997. What we had then was on the old yahoo fan forums. Someone, usually in California, would go to their local Japanese grocery once a month, buy the magazine, read the chapter and post a fan translation. No pictures, unless there was a color illustration with the chapter, that might get scanned by the person and added to the forum's picture files. There had just sprung up around that time the earliest scanning groups who would take more classic manga scan in the pages in the original Japanese and provide a fan translation to go along with it, but to even get that you had to go to IRC and know someone in that group for them to send you the file....

Anime fansubs were bought for the price of the VHS tape and shipping- yes a VHS tape sent via snail mail-and was just at that point (in 1997), thanks to Japanese laser disks that the picture quality was decent and subtitles readable. Someone bilingual who lived in Japan would would buy it, then send it to someone bilingual in the US and a group would do the fansubs. Just a couple of years earlier they were usually poor quality images and the subtitles barely legible.

20 years ago (1992) most westerners access to relatively current manga were people's posts who again, had a nearby Japanese grocery that happened to carry a manga magazine or two- usually a month late from it's release in Japan. They would write out a summary that you supposed was accurate. That's how I remember following what was going on in the Ranma 1/2 manga, since Viz was so painfully slow putting out the chapters- back then it was published by them in a format like western comic books, with only two chapters in an issue and published once a month.... Fansubs of anime had just started to become common at that time- horridly fuzzy images and barely legible subtitles. Except for one company (Central Park Media- I think- was the only one who offered, at a higher price, a separate version with subtitles in the early 90's. Viz wouldn't start offering the same until around 1997) doing official anime VHS releases they were available in English dub only.

Oh, apparently this action by Viz, etc... has been in motion for around 2 years- here's a link to a Publisher's Weekly article from June 2010. Apparently, they have plans to go after 30 different scanalator sites

Toei is also going hardcore after people who download any of their anime series (not just the fansubbers, but people who just download for personal use) especially One Piece.... with lawsuits like RIAA did to people who downloaded music. Be careful folks... Toei is the first, expect other companies to follow.

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